May 2019 Labour Market Update

The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.

May Unemployment Rate: Brantford 5.4% [+] Ontario 5.2% [-] Canada 5.4% [-]

Labour Market Reports

The report includes annual rates for the last 10 years, comparing Brantford to surrounding CMAs as well as the provincial and national levels.

Statistics Canada Summary

For Canada and Ontario, Statistics Canada reports that, "Employment held steady in May, following a strong increase in April. The unemployment rate was down 0.3 percentage points to 5.4%, as the number of people looking for work decreased sharply following little change over the previous three months. The unemployment rate in May was the lowest since comparable data became available in 1976....

"Employment in Ontario rose by 21,000 in May, with notable increases among the core-aged population and among women. The unemployment rate declined by 0.8 percentage points to 5.2%, as fewer people searched for work. Year over year, employment was up by 222,000 or 3.1%....

"There were 20,000 more people working in health care and social assistance in May, bringing year-over-year gains in this industry to 89,000 (+3.7%). Over half of the monthly increase was in Ontario....

"Employment in professional, scientific and technical services was up 17,000, more than offsetting a decline in the previous month. The rise in May was concentrated in Ontario, while smaller increases were also registered in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in this industry grew by 67,000 (+4.5%)....

"Following little change in the previous three months, the number of self-employed workers rose by 62,000 in May, while the number of employees in the public and private sectors was little changed....

"In May 2019, there were 35,000 (+8.5%) more 17- to 19-year-old students employed compared with May 2018, driven by an increase in part-time employment. The employment rate was little changed at 50.7%, as the population of students in this age group grew at a similar pace to employment. The unemployment rate for this younger group of students was also little changed at 13.4%."

Top Line

• May Unemployment Rate: Brantford 5.4% [+] Ontario 5.2% [-] Canada 5.4% [-]
• The local unemployment rate increased by 0.4 month over month.
• The local labour force expanded by 2,100 month over month.
• The number of employed increased by 1,700 month over month.
• The number of unemployed increased by 400 month over month.
• When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate is second highest.

Note: Brantford's unemployment reflects a 3 month moving average, whereas Ontario and Canada are monthly figures. The sample CMA breakdown for Brantford area is detailed in text at the Stats Canada website: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3VD.pl?Function=getVD&TVD=117159&CVD=117161&CPV=543&CST=01012011&CLV=2&MLV=3